Ruth L. Miller PhD

Isn’t A Course In Miracles Advaistic in declaring that things around us aren’t real?

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:35:11 +0000

What would happen if we didn’t use the word “illusion” (or any other Advaidist idea) but instead said simply that some aspects of the All That Is are Eternal and some are change-able, plastic, and malleable (the root meaning of the Sanskrit maya), and that what changes does so in the presence of awareness (Quantum mechanics) and in alignment with the form of awareness we call Love energy (New Thought mechanics)? Isn’t that an accurate statement?

There is no value placed on one over the other in this statement. I can’t change Love, Beauty, or Truth, but I can change furnishings, my thoughts, all the vegetation and people and structures around me, and my body. How easily and how fully I change them is a function of my skill, which is, in part, a function of my mental focus, which is in large part a function of where I place Love energy.

If we can accept any part of that premise, then we are saying that whatever forms (things and people that are changing) are in my experience must be a product of my current mental focus. My mental focus is what changes them—either through action derived from that focus or through their natural alignment with the Love energy filtered through that focus.

Therefore the forms I am experiencing are in alignment with the Love energy filtering through my own mental focus and that of others who experience those forms—whether anyone has acted physically to bring them into their current form or not.

ACIM is suggesting, albeit using Judeo-Christian terms, that our mental focus has been split by our training and we have forms around us that don’t really serve us because of that split. Specifically, because of the split, we focus much of our Love energy on change-able forms. We say, for instance, that “I love that particular chair” thinking we can have the qualities of that chair in our life forever. We say, for instance, that “I can only love someone who…. (fill in the blank)” thinking we can have just that person with just those qualities in our life forever.

ACIM goes on to suggest that the split means that we have 2 different directions of mental focus: 1 in the direction of isolation, separation, and absence of love; and 1 in the direction of immersion in and extension of Love and the universal eternal qualities. So, for a while, we experience people and chairs and other forms with those qualities. But, because forms are change-able, they wear out and give out and we’re left without them—which causes us more distress and reinforces the focus on deterioration and separation, which does not serve us. All the while, the other aspect of the split, the focus on eternal universals, continues but has less and less of our attention, less and less of our Love energy flowing through that particular filter or focus, with the result that those changing forms, including bodies and our sense of self, deteriorate and decay, rather than go on eternally.

So, using terms that people who grew up in a Judeo-Christian culture can relate to (whether they feel comfortable with them or not) ACIM suggests that it’s possible to change our thinking so that there is less and less split… so that our mental focus, and the Love energy that goes with it, is not on what is change-able, but on what is eternal, not on separation but on the communion of Oneness. The lessons are designed to take us through a process to heal the split in our mental focus by showing us, over and over, where it is and how it doesn’t serve us, and by giving us opportunities to think and act in ways that encourage a single mental focus—on what is eternal.

Then, it suggests, the forms in our life (which it calls “the world”) begin to align in a new way. Our mental focus, now single and aligned with Oneness, starts to shape the malleable, change-able forms around us in ways so we can experience more of the eternal universals. Through our words and actions, and through the natural tendency of the change-able to align with Love energy, we start to feel more energy flowing through the forms, because flowing energy is eternal. We start to experience more of the eternal qualities in the forms—Beauty, Harmony, Balance, Joy, etc.—because our mental focus is on those qualities rather than on the limited forms themselves. Our bodies and relationships are more healthy, more balanced, more joy-filled; the people and objects around us are more harmonious, more intelligent, more comfortable, more beautiful; the information we receive is more supportive of a life of balance and beauty, etc. We are invigorated and our sense of self is expanding and developing rather than deteriorating

My own experience with this material is as a resource and reference over the years. Its language has always been a block for me and many others around me, but its fundamental assertions—that we have a mental focus that’s been split, that all our distress is a function of that split, that it’s possible, through a process called “forgiveness” to begin to heal that split and so relieve the distress, and that as we do so “the world” around us becomes more imbued with the eternal qualities—hold true for me and show up in every tradition I have studied and practiced over the past 40 years.

As a result of it all, I experience less and less the “many paths” of the spiritual journey, but rather “many metaphors” for the same process: shifting our mental focus from maintaining a split between “the world” and “spirit” to experiencing Oneness, and the power and peace and beauty of that Oneness, is what they’re all about.

For what it’s worth, I avoided teaching ACIM for decades, and did so recently only because there was a great hunger among members of the Unity community I was ministering. Working with them on this material as I have for the last several years has been a wonderful addition to my (far more generic) spiritual practice. Every time I encounter new variations on the split mental framework, I get to find new metaphors for comprehending it and new language for healing it. What fun!

Where Are We in the Shift of 2012?

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:40:38 +0000

So much is happening on so many levels that no one person can track them all!

Mentally, we have people all over the world waking up to the realization that their mental framework has been based on fear and other people as authorities, while what really works for them is a mental framework based on love and an inner knowing. And we have leaders sticking so intensely to a line of thinking that is clearly based on false premises or has no internal consistency that the people who used to take them seriously are now turning away, ignoring, or speaking out against them–everywhere on the planet.

Geophysically, the promised solar flares, storms, earthquakes and slides, and melting icefields are right on target. The fact that we have so much human activity in Antarctica may be part of the cause of the recent melts, and the continued drilling for oil and clear-cutting may be part of the slides and quakes, but that’s part of the waking up process.

Astronomically, the planets are all in one line as I write this, and soon the moon will join them, which may lead to another huge quake–and people are seeing more than one “sun” in many places around the world, all of which were forecast for this time.

Medically, many more people have been experiencing vertigo; many more are recovering from “terminal” diagnoses or “death” experiences and talking about it; many more are turning away from drugs and discovering that freedom from pain is an internal process.

Ecologically, the species are changing their relationships to us and to each other. Have you seen the number of Youtubes and photos with “enemy” species playing and resting together?

Militarily, in spite of all kinds of “peacekeeping” efforts in the Middle East, the violence continues–it just moves around from one region to another. Some of that is people waking up and saying “no more.” Some of that (sad to say) is intentionally maintained to keep the weapons and economies moving. All of it is in keeping with the forecasts and prophecies.

So, recognizing that the “12-21-12″ date is not the “end of the world” but rather the climax of a transformation process that’s been happening for some time, we’re right on course.

It’s not something we can “speed up” but it is something we can “tone down.” What’s happening on the planet is in large part a function of, and a response to, our individual and collective mind states. The more we can “be the peace we wish to see in the world” (to use that oft-quoted comment of Gandhi’s) in our own thoughts and lives, the more smoothly, and the less violently, we can experience the process.

We’re moving from a relatively short period (5125 years) of empire-building and hierarchical social structures to the next stage in human development. It is happening. It will not stop. How many of us get to play is the only question… the more of us who are the peace sooner, the more of us get to play!

Is Byron Katie’s work useful?

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:32:57 +0000

Byron Katie’s The Work is a very powerful and effective method for helping people “get out of their story” and begin to really “see” what’s happening in their lives so they can do something different and change their habitual thought pattern.

Her famous “is that true?” is great as far as it goes, but I prefer, “is that accurate? is that what you really experience?” Because for me, there’s a difference between facts–the perceived experience–and Truth or Reality, which are eternal and what is happening at the spiritual level.

So, in a given interaction, if I’m caught in my story I may just say “she’s doing what she always does” rather than describe the facts, “she didn’t arrive when we expected her and I was frustrated,” and the Truth is always “she’s loving me and I’m loving her, and there’s something here for me to discover.”

How can we maintain integrity when there’s a sense of commitment?

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:51:09 +0000

In our culture “integrity” can become as much of a ball-and-chain as an addiction. It’s often more about shame and fear of losing face than about being true to ourselves or our commitment. And, for me, it’s kept me in a few places far longer than is healthy (joyful and satisfying) for all concerned.

It’s useful to remember that the only reason for confusion, ever, is getting distracted from Principle.

So when there’s confusion, we turn to Principle!

Here’s one way to do that. We start by stating what we know to be true, whether we can feel it in the moment or not, as for example:

The One Power is Good and it’s everywhere so there’s nothing we have to do to make Good happen.
The One Source is joy and satisfaction flowing into joy and satisfaction so there’s nothing I need to do to experience more joy and satisfaction except feel joy and satisfaction, now
If I’m not feeling joy and satisfaction now, what do I need to release? A belief? An object? A fear?
As I go “into the wilderness” to release that, what replacement for it feels most joy-filled and satisfying, now; how can I fill my heart and soul with.joy and satisfaction?

When we’ve done that, when we’ve let go (“cast the burden”) of the thing that’s blocking our experience of this moment as heavenly, then we’re clear about what is truly ours to be and do in the moment.

Perhaps we need to replace the word “integrity” with “enlightened self-interest” or, as Emerson calls it, Self-reliance. For when we operate from that deep, inner knowing, there’s no confusion and no fear and, truly, everyone benefits.

What is Illusion and what is Real?

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:13:59 +0000

The simple answer is: anything that is in material or energetic form is not the ultimate Reality. In the sciences of physics and of spirit it’s clear that the permanent, unchanging, underlying Reality behind all forms of matter and energy is a single, unified field of intelligence with qualities that we might call Beauty, Harmony, Balance, Flow, Wisdom… and many more.

This means that anything we perceive with our senses or measure with our machines is not, in fact, Real. It may be a fact, but it is not Real. It’s either a personal projection onto the underlying field (known as the Undifferentiated One, or Ground of Being in eastern traditions) or it’s a collective construct of the combined mind of humanity as a whole. In either case, it’s transitory, impermanent, moldable by thought, and therefore always changing (which is the literal definition of the term maya, usually translated as “illusion”).

What is Visioning?

admin — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:08:13 +0000

For several decades, people have used guided visualization to experience various states of consciousness, to discover intuitive insights, and to expand awareness. For thousands of years, certain members of every kind of society have practiced a form of visualization that has recently been called “shamanic journeys,” which requires considerable preparation and allows the practitioner to enter a state of consciousness in which their awareness connects with other species, other forms of life, and other dimensions of being.

In the New Thought tradition, guided visualization has been called “meditation” and is a form of contemplation on a concept or state of being. In Unity, it’s used to precede a time of silence, during which one simply waits, expectantly, for a word, an idea, or an insight. In the Science of Mind practice (taught in what were formerly known as churches of Religious Science, but are now called Centers for Spiritual Living), this practice has evolved to what they call Visioning.

In Visioning, a minister, practitioner, facilitator, or student simply enters a meditative state and asks the following questions:

1. What is the highest vision or perfect idea for (person, project, organization)?

2. What must we become to empower the vision?

3. What must be released?

4. What must be embraced?

5. Is there any other information that we need in this moment?

Any image or word that comes to mind is written down and used as the basis for action. When done in a group, different people may have different pieces of the answer, so all share whatever they’ve experienced, for the good of the whole.

What are the 5 Toxic Words?

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:49:30 +0000

Have you noticed that when you look at your “To Do” list you sometimes feel suddenly de-energized, maybe even resentful? Even if some of the things on the list are things you normally really enjoy doing, do they suddenly seem like an imposition?

Well, as a friend of mine used to say, that’s because you’ve been “shoulding” on yourself!

It’s fascinating: the moment we make something that we want to do something we “should” do, our small self (often called our “ego”) begins to complain about “having to” do it. It doesn’t matter how much we wanted to do it before; all that matters now is that it’s on that list and so has become a “should.” The body now responds to it as a stressor rather than a pleasure: our belly tightens, there’s tension in our arms and shoulders, and for some, a small rush of adrenaline “fight or flight” whenever we think about doing it.

This physical response, without an actual opportunity for “fight or flight,” builds up toxins in the system that cause other symptoms in the body, ranging from arthritis to diabetes, and can, for some of us, lead to adrenaline depletion.

Now, the word should is by no means the only such word that works that way—it’s just the one currently in style. Other equally devastating words are: ought (as in, “I ought to be…”), must (as in, “you must do this or…”), have-to (as in, “but I have to!”), and got-to (as in, “I gotta get this done before….”). Each and every one of these is as toxic to the human body as cigarette smoke or nuclear radiation. They all build up toxins in the system that can only be released by an immediate response of running away or fighting—which may explain why kick-boxing is so popular these days!

Okay, you’re wondering, “but how am I going to get anything done if I don’t make up a list—and how am I going to get anyone else to do what they’re supposed to (oh, yes! That’s one of the toxic ones too!) without using these words?”

It’s not all that hard, really, it’s about discovering what we really would like to do right now.

“What?” most people wonder at this point,” how would I possibly get the dishes done, the toilet bowl washed, or my bookkeeping handled if I only did what I really want to do?”

Isn’t that interesting…. We’ve convinced ourselves that some of the things that make our life easy and harmonious are onerous tasks that we would never do without coercion! If I didn’t “have-to” clean the bathroom it would be filthy—well, to quote Byron Katie, is that really true?

Really, what’s the likelihood that you wouldn’t wipe out the sink or brush out the toilet bowl when it was uncomfortably dirty and ugly? Would you really just let the dishes pile up in the sink forever? How likely is that? At some point you’d look at them and simply start loading them into the dishwasher, or fill up the sink with soapy water and swish a few through every once in a while as you were cooking—or something! Right?

In fact, at the time you’re inclined to do things like that, it’s no big deal; you almost go on automatic pilot while you’re remembering or contemplating something wonderful, like a guest coming over or the lovely evening you had last night, or the beauty of the sunrise or sunset. In some Buddhist monasteries, the young novices who clean up the kitchens after a meal are encouraged to think of the pots and pans as “Buddha’s body”—to realize that what they’re doing is a sacred act and part of their contemplation. And Brother Lawrence, the monastery kitchen helper who “practiced the Presence” became a powerful healer that way.

And that is how life is meant to be lived.

We do the small things that make life easier and more comfortable in and around the wonderful things that make life worthwhile.—not because we “should” but, because, in this moment, it feels perfectly right and fitting to be doing that.

So give yourself—body, mind, and soul—a break. Throw away the lists and set the intention that everything that needs to be done today for the wellbeing of everyone you care about gets done without your “shoiulding” on yourself. Join the movement for freedom from “shoiulds, oughts, musts, gottas and haftas” and be your wonderful, healthy, effective Self!

What’s the difference between abstract and concrete thinking? Why does it matter?

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:38:32 +0000

Some people think in terms of their experiences and the things they can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell; they ask questions about objects, events, and procedures. Others think in terms of possibilities and principles; they ask questions that apply ideas in lots of different ways. Some people think in terms of specific how-to steps; they read the instruction book or do things they way they were told because each task is different. Others think in terms of relationships and patterns; they see how something they’ve done before is similar to what is being done now and use the same methods as far as they can—before reading the instructions.
People in the first group are called “concrete thinkers.” They tend to experience the world as a series of separate, discrete objects and events, and learn by experience working with objects, or by seeing or hearing concrete examples. Once they learn how something is done, that’s the only “right” way to do it.
People in the second group are called “abstract thinkers.” They’re constantly generalizing from events and experiences and relating or connecting them to others, and experience the world as an unfolding set of more and more complex interactions hoping to find a few basic principles that apply to everything. All humans generalize, but for abstract thinkers, it’s the only way to operate.
Jean Piaget, the psychologist who defined the stages in a child’s mental development, and Maria Montessori, the genius who created the Montessori Method that is the basis for many pre-school education systems, both agree that most infants and toddlers are concrete thinkers—it’s all about the experience, the object, and the senses. They encourage learning through lots of sensory experiences and discourage any attempts to reason or analyze those experiences until after 6 years old. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf Schools goes even further, discouraging even reading until after 7 years old.
In most pre-school and primary school classrooms, tests support these ideas. Most children in pre-school, kindergarten, and through second grade learn best by manipulating objects, imitating others, and working with concrete examples.
Somewhere in the 3rd grade, however, a split begins to become evident, and by the 4th and 5th grade the difference is quite clear: generally a third to a half of the children learn by seeing relationships rather than by manipulating objects—with an even larger fraction in communities where the parents work in academia, where abstract thinking has historically been encouraged. Once, these children would have been put in a “college-prep” program, while their concrete- thinking friends would be encouraged to find a trade or profession that was based on developing skills with specific methods.
This is because, traditionally, the Liberal Arts colleges were designed to encourage abstract thinking. While specific skills were being developed within the disciplines, the connections between them—between language and mathematics, biology and art, music and motion, for example—were emphasized. People who completed the bachelor’s degree in a traditional Liberal Arts college were able to solve problems and think “outside the box” in ways that people who’d simply learned how to do a job couldn’t. As a result, they quickly moved up the ladder in organizations into management, went out on their own to become entrepreneurs, or stayed in academia where they could continue to explore new ideas.
Only a few young people were rich enough or smart enough to have such an education paid for, but once they did, they were fully prepared to live a life of constant self-improvement. Some people were able to work their way through these colleges and so receive the benefits. Still others set about to teach themselves, by reading and conversation with wise mentors, the same skills and processes.
This meant that, up until World War II, about 20-25% of the adult population of the U.S. could be called “abstract thinkers.” They were, by and large, the professors, senior managers, inventors, entrepreneurs, social activists, and statesmen who led our nation.
At the end of World War II the GI bill made it possible for thousands more to afford such an experience, but there were so many students and so few teachers, and there was such a push to help these men get good-paying jobs, that the system was warped. Then the soldiers’ children hit the same institutions, and the Liberal Arts degree was undermined in a way that it has never recovered.
As a result, most Americans graduate from college having been trained in a discipline, rather than having learned how to see connections and draw inferences based on those connections. And, under federal mandate, the public school system no longer distinguishes between the two forms of learning, reinforcing only concrete thinking in most classes. So, from elementary school through college, the vast majority of Americans are being trained as concrete thinkers rather than abstract thinkers.
Sadly, this means that the children who learn best by seeing relationships and drawing inferences are often lost in the system—and many of them drop out completely. They can see the pattern and they draw the inference: there’s no place for them in a concrete-thinking world.
Sadly, too, this means that adults who we would normally expect to be able to do so can’t. Doctors are being trained not to even ask whether someone’s work or family life might have something to do with their medical symptoms. Engineers are being trained not to find ingenious (the word from which engineer is derived) ways to do things, but to design or develop the next incremental step in a product line—or simply analyze or supervise the production of an existing object or process. Research scientists are being trained to solve the problems that the funders are willing to pay for rather than explore the edges of ideas no one has looked at before.
It’s hard for someone who is a concrete thinker to see the value in abstract thinking. In general, they don’t see that the things in their workplace and home haven’t always been the way they are, that someone had to stop doing things the “right” way in order to do things a new way—and invent the lightbulb, the car, the computer, etc. They know it as a fact, but not as an experience. As a result, they tend to discourage people who start thinking in abstractions or exploring alternatives, asking why they’re saying such “crazy” things or spending their time with such “useless” ideas. In the meantime, America’s capacity to innovate, to solve the problems of the present and build for the future, has all but disappeared. What remains is a religious conservatism based on the one “right” way, and an unwillingness to accept any alternatives.
And yet, if we look at the sacred literature of Christianity and Judaism, of Islam, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and especially, Taoism, we see that we are all called to move beyond concrete thinking. Jesus didn’t mean “love the man in the house next to you” by the word that’s been translated as “your neighbor;” Jesus meant “love all the human beings you encounter.” Moses, Abraham, Jacob, and Mohammed didn’t just talk to their own personal creator/god; they talked to the Creator/God of all the universe, whose words apply not just to those men’s lives but to all our lives. Thus, to be religious, to be spiritually wise, is to generalize, to see a pattern and apply it.
And, if we listen to the people who’ve been active in their religion for many years, the wise old men and women who were there week after week, but may not even make it to services very often any more, we hear that they’ve reached the point where they no longer need to hear the specific message, or do the specific action that was so important for so many years, because it’s now a part of them and they see it and apply it everywhere. They’ve become abstract thinkers.
Is it possible that they have come to think that way, not in spite of what’s “normal” but because abstract thinking is what the mature mind does? Piaget and Steiner, those men who said that toddlers need to be encouraged in concrete thinking, say so. They say that the normal progression of the human mind is from concrete to abstract, specific to general, experiential to inferential. And the ancient religious mystery schools, the teachers of Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, and St. Paul that later evolved into our Liberal Arts colleges, were designed to do just that.
They say that God is the ultimate abstraction. All things dissolve into the essence of God, their source. God is, they say, the pattern that holds all matter and energy in some semblance of order, the intelligence that underlies existence, the totality of all relationships.
All this suggests that concrete thinking is only a stage in our mental development and that, for our wellbeing and for that of coming generations, we must once again encourage the development of abstract thinking in this country and in the world. Only then will we see the connections and patterns that allow us to live as our great spiritual teachers have encouraged and our God-given nature is designed.

What good is a spiritual practice for “regular folks”?

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:19:56 +0000

The goal of spiritual practice is not to become some sort of spiritualized being, leaving behind the body and all that being human involves, but to become more powerfully the human being we were born to be.
What does that mean, “the human being we were born to be”?
Have you ever been in a relationship that made you crazy, because you knew you loved each other but would get into terrible fights?
Have you ever been frustrated because you wished you could help someone in your family be happy and well?
Have you dreamed of accomplishing something wonderful in the world but felt it was out of your reach?
Believe it or not, daily spiritual practice is designed to help you no longer be limited in those ways—or any other! You are an unlimited being and never meant to live in lack and limitation!
If we look at the teachings of all the great spiritual masters, we can see that this is so. The Buddha was quite clear that the goal of his teachings and practices was to relieve his followers of all forms of suffering and dissatisfaction. Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, tells us that anyone who focuses their mind and heart on the divine Spirit within would be fulfilled in all aspects of life. Solomon, the great king of ancient Israel, entered into communion with the power he knew as JHWH (not to be spoken, so written as “Lord”) seeking only wisdom, and was granted all riches and earthly power. Christ Jesus, the most complete embodiment of divine love and power known to humanity, told his disciples that they, too, could do everything he did, and showed them how by modeling it: every day he went up on the mountain for several hours to commune with (which means experience one-ness with) the infinite, loving power and presence he called “Daddy.” And the Apostle Paul said we are “joint heirs with Christ,” when we “let that mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus.”
When we devote some time each day to connecting with that Power, that loving Presence, we do just that:
1. we redirect our thoughts away from our usual chaos of problems and emotions and toward harmony, peace, and fulfillment;
2. we open our hearts—literally shift the rhythm of our heart-beat from stressed to relaxed—and so shift all the rhythms of our body and mind to be more in alignment with the “music of the spheres;”
3. we remove the blocks that were developed in the process of worry and fear, opening ourselves to experience the divine flow of energy and insight that is always present.
(for a detailed guide and suggestions for an effective daily practice, see my book Spiritual Success.)
These shifts in our mind, body, and emotions allow us to experience a different kind of thinking. We let go of the limitations that we’ve imposed on ourselves (or allowed others to impose on us) as a result of focusing on what’s not been working in our lives. These shifts allow us to begin to experience a more wonderful reality, in which divine love, wisdom, and power flows—what the Buddha called “getting off the wheel of karma,” Taoists call “being in the infinite flow,” and Christ Jesus called “Heaven on Earth.” We begin to get new ideas, new inspirations, and we begin to see things change around us for the better.
Those who have consistently spent an hour or more each day (that’s less than 5% of our time!) focusing on spiritual ideas and the beautiful quiet that helps them feel connected with the divine, report the following kinds of shifts. In the first few days:
• reduction in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels
• more restful sleep
• more normal hormone levels
In three to six weeks:
• all of the above, plus
• improved muscle tone
• clearer skin
• increased energy for work and play
• new ideas for solving problems
• less pressure at work
• fewer arguments at home and at work
In three to six months:
• all of the above, plus
• break-downs and break-thrus in important relationships
• a sense of peace in formerly distressing situations
• a desire to let go of things that no longer serve
• a new sense of possibility
• fewer physical ailments
In six months to a year:
• all of the above, plus
• new kinds of relationships forming, much closer to the ideal
• new, exciting opportunities showing up
• minimal physical ailments most of the time
• increased resources—funds, people, supplies, space—for fulfilling activities
And it just gets better as the years go by.
Myrtle Fillmore, who with her husband Charles founded Unity, was healed from tuberculosis and related symptoms within 2 years of starting this daily practice. Her husband’s leg, badly damaged in childhood, was restored to almost full function and length within 5 years, and he looked younger at 70 than he had at 50. Their almost-bankrupt real estate business turned around and they went on to create an institution on a beautiful campus that has changed the lives of millions, worldwide.
Thousands of people, in Unity and on other spiritual paths, have experienced similar shifts in their lives and work, simply by spending an hour a day focusing on their current relationship with and understanding of God. Here at Unity by the Sea we see these kinds of changes all the time, and my friends who work with Buddhist or Hindu or Pentecostal or Native American or Wiccan or Science of Mind teachings and do this simple practice are seeing equally wonderful results.
So a daily spiritual practice is not just for nuns and monks—it’s a way of life that makes life work… for all of us!

How can we accept the idea that evil isn’t real in the face of tyrants and genocide and other terrible things some people have done?

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:51:12 +0000

Many religious groups, including Unity, teach that evil doesn’t really exist. These traditions teach that if God is Good and God as Good is Omnipotent and Omnipotent means all-powerful, then Good is all the power that is and no other power can exist. They teach, therefore, that anything we would call bad or evil has no power—it can’t cause anything. It’s a very logical understanding.

Our experience, however, doesn’t always match that logic. So, inevitably—especially around dates like 9-11—this question comes up.

To answer this question it helps to remember that human experience is based on the idea of duality: two sides to a coin, two points of view, two poles on a magnet, two partners in a relationship—and two powers. Duality, the great religious philosophers have told us, is a human concept, born in our belief that we are separate beings from God: the belief that God is in one place and we’re in another. And out of that belief emerges the belief that our Good must be somewhere else, as well. As one great teacher and healer, Emma Curtis Hopkins, said, “the belief that our Good is absent had to be called something, so it was called evil.”

Christ Jesus clearly had no time for what we call “evil.” The most he had to say was, “I’m not tempted,” and “get thee behind me.” He spent virtually all his time focusing on God’s Presence and the health and well-being of those around him. He taught that “theKingdomofGodis at hand”—not somewhere else, but right here, right now, ready for us to experience it.

One explanation that has helped me and many of my students follows.

There are hundreds of books and articles by and about people who’ve been “dead” for extended periods of time, or who can listen to those who are, and they tell us that between the time we “die” or leave our bodies, and the time we’re “born” or incarnate again, our soul learns a lot and develops a deep connection with the loving power that we call God. Then, after a while, the soul is ready to return to Earth, to experience the human form again, to learn some lessons and clear the past and, hopefully, help others along the way.

In every generation, these books and articles tell us, a few souls that haven’t been in human form for a while decide to re-incarnate so they can help humanity advance. They generally have high hopes and a clear vision for how they can help all humanity rise above our perceived limitations and live more fully the life that Christ and Buddha and others have promised. And, we’re told, it’s these beloved, well-intentioned souls who fail most grandly.

So imagine you’ve been living in the realm of light and love and peace and harmony for long enough that you know there’s no need for souls to suffer while in human form. You become convinced that you have a solution that will help all humanity see the truth about themselves and may restore Heaven on Earth. You decide to return to the planet to be born again. (A version of this part of the story may be seen in Neal Donald Walsh’s Little Soul and the Sun.)

So you look around at what’s happening on the planet. You find a place and a time that’s ideal. A country has been all but dissolved and is in the process of restoring its political and economic identity. It’s relatively small, but it’s in an ideal location and there are many wonderful resources, some brilliant minds, and a great education system in place. You decide it can work, so you pick a family living in a community that look like they’ll be able to help set the foundation for this fabulous gift you will give to all humanity. That’s where you’ll be born again. (Illustrations of this aspect of the story may be found in Walsh’s Little Soul and the Earth and Jane Robert’s Oversoul Seven books.)

But, in spite of all your careful preparations, things go terribly wrong, and instead of being lovingly guided into your full potential, your parents, as well as the leaders of their church, are rigid authoritarians who believe in regular beatings “for your own good.” You’re hurt and scared and in the process your mind becomes twisted with fear and anger.

Still, your soul’s purpose continues to drive you. Your dreams are filled with images of angelic, light-filled beings. Your training and career develop your skills as an organizer and motivator and inspiring leader.

Then, as you try your new skills and begin to organize people, you push the establishment a little too far and wind up in prison. Still your soul’s purpose drives you. You write a book about your efforts to accomplish your vision and someone agrees to publish it. The book draws a variety of people to your vision and, when you’re released from prison, they offer their ideas, resources, and energy to help you bring your vision to fruition. One can help get information out, another can help organize programs for children and youth, another can design graphics, and so on.

Soon, dozens of people are working with you and hundreds of people are involved. You are exhilarated: your soul’s purpose is being fulfilled! You know we have unlimited potential and now almost everyone in your country knows it too!

But, sadly, those dreadful childhood experiences keep haunting you, and you find yourself angrily blaming others for your distress—and extend that habit of blaming on to the people you’re trying to help, saying that other people are to blame for their not having experienced Heaven on Earth before. Your own childhood anger and fear gets woven into your teaching and motivating, and in time it becomes the dominant message of your movement.

So, even though the images of light-filled, angelic human beings still shine everywhere in the country you now control, the anger and fear of your childhood drive everyone around you to act in ways that the rest of the world calls “evil” as they strive to rid this wonderful nation, “God’s Country,” from those dark, hated beings who are no longer even considered human, they’re so much the focus of fear, anger, and distrust.

And so it was for Adolph Hitler. (This is documented in Alice Miller’s book, For Your Own Good.)

Most of us who’ve studied history or watched historical documentaries can name at least one other totalitarian, genocidal despot that this story could apply to. Some of us can name one or two people who aren’t national leaders to whom this story might apply. Many of us, today, would say that Osama bin Laden was one of those.

But, clearly, it’s not a “power called evil” at work here—rather a wish for great good that’s been twisted by fear and anger!

Even those of us who’ve been beaten or abused as children can recognize this in ourselves and, if we allow ourselves, in those who beat or abused us. They were saying “I love you and need you to love me in a way that I recognize as love;” “I love you and want you to be the best person you can be, and this is the only way I know to make that happen.”

Sadly, their belief in the absence of Good prevented them from seeing what was already present in the people around them—and that’s all the “evil” there was. May we never fall into that trap!